The Poison Tree is the project of ex-King Of France frontman Steve Salett and collaborators from his self-described “Elephant 6-styled” Saltlands music collective, a group that includes folks like onetime KoF player Doveman and Dawn Landes. In a text accompanying the record, writer John Wray says “these are the songs a teenager would write, if that teenager happened to be a connoisseur of heartbreak. If that teenager could see into the future — see all the way, past the setbacks and the self-discovery and the sweetness and the terror…” I can’t confirm a state like that would actually sound like the Poison Tree, but I like the description. And you do get some ragged heartbreak on “My Only Friend,” a song that may remind you of Willie Nelson’s “Always On My Mind” before it opens up and goes elsewhere.The Poison Tree – “My Only Friend”

Here’s a band-endorsed fan video for the track. The footage comes from the opening scene of Orsen Welles’ Touch Of Evil.

The Poison Tree is out in March via Embarque. More into at MySpace. And, a live date: